Connection terminals for straps

ABSTRACT

Applicable to tapes like those employed in backpacks, handbags, cyclists&#39; helmets and similar goods, it is constituted by means of a piece ( 1 ) injected in plastic in which are defined two bodies ( 2 - 3 ) connected by means of a hinge ( 4 ), these bodies coming with respective slots ( 8 - 8′ ) for the passage of the tape to which the termination has to be coupled, and one of said bodies ( 3 ) having side claws ( 6 ) which, through elastic, deformation of said body, can couple into complementary recesses ( 7 ) in the other body ( 2 ), in order to stabilise the clamp formed by the termination in the closed position upon the tape.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a termination of those employed forfinishing the free extremity of a tape, generally manufactured on abasis of nylon or similar, whereby a substantial reduction is achievedin costs for the fastening of the termination to the tape, as well as apossibility of regulation in position for said termination.

The invention is applicable within the sphere of backpacks, handbags,cyclists' helmets, etc., in which tapes of the type mentioned above areused, as harnesses, means of fastening, means of closing, etc.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The tapes for the applications mentioned above or others similar, comein a fabric structure, participating generally as base material in theconstitution thereof nylon thread or other synthetic similar products,with or without the admixture of natural products, and as commondenominator all of them require their free end to be finished in atermination which, as well as finishing the tape decoratively, impedesthe fraying thereof and especially permits its coupling with other partsof the object on which it is fitted.

One of the commonly adopted solutions for implementing this termination,generally of plastic material, consists in providing said terminationwith a housing for the extremity of the tape, into which the latter isintroduced and is subsequently fixed with the collaboration of astitching process, which has to be sufficiently robust to endow thetermination with a certain resistance to pulling. This solution has afundamental problem in the cost of the stitching operation which has aconsiderable impact on the cost of the end product. Even in some cases,such as life jackets and in infants' chairs, it is necessary to positionthe entire finished product on the stitching table, since the tapestitching process takes place at the end of the production cycle. This,doubtless, augments even more the manufacturing cost.

Another solution consists in fastening the termination to the tape bymeans of the employment of rivets or similar, in which case the plasticpiece is usually in the material form of two parts which adapt to therespective faces of the tape and which are finally fastened with one ormore rivets, which also makes necessary the employment of machines forimplanting the rivets in question, both in the case mentioned and in afurther solution existing in this respect consisting in folding back theend of the tape on itself configuring a hem which is fixed with therivets mentioned.

Another problem inherent to any of the solutions indicated above, liesin the fact that the termination is rigidly fixed to the end of thetape, there being no possibility of adjusting the effective length ofsaid tape, in such a manner that in order to achieve the adjustmentmentioned it is necessary to provide the tape, together with thetermination mentioned, with another auxiliary mechanism which permitssuch adjustment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The termination which is proposed by the invention overcomes in a fullysatisfactory manner the problems outlined above, in the differentaspects mentioned, constituting a structurally simple solution, veryeasy to assemble, which acts simultaneously as a means of adjusting theeffective length of the tape, adjustment which can not only beimplemented in manufacture but also throughout the period during whichthe tape is employed by the user thereof.

To this end and in more specific form, the termination which is proposedis implemented by means of a plastic piece which configures a type ofclamp, of width in accordance with that of the tape for which it isintended, clamp in which participate two bodies, noticeably flat,connected to each other to form a unit by means of an interveningarticulating hinge, obtained on a basis of weakened sectors in theregion of union between the two bodies, each one of which configures atype of shallow cup, each of these incorporating also, in the bottom ofeach, a slot through which the tape passes, parallel and relativelyclose to said hinge, the slots of one and the other body beingnoticeably different in width and being provided with toothed edges, theteeth of which are directed towards the inside of the clamp, in such amanner that the teeth of one body are slightly offset with respect tothose of the other in order to define in the tape a slight inflection inits path which enhances the gripping effect.

As a complement to the structure described one of the two bodiesincorporates on its side edges respective claws, saw-tooth in outline,intended for insertion in internal and complementary recesses of theother body, when the coupling between the two takes place, with theinterposition of the tape, said claws acting as a means of locking forthe clamp in the closed position, which permit a straightforwardassembly thereof on the tape and which guarantee perfect stability ofthe termination with respect thereto.

Moreover, each of the bodies mentioned presents, in correspondence withits edge opposite the hinge, an internal rim, in such a manner thatthese rims exercise in turn a pinching effect on the tape.

In accordance with this construction the end of the tape rests againstthe inside face of one of the bodies, emerges to the outside through thecorresponding slot, passes behind the hinge towards the slot of thesecond body, penetrates inside said second body and is perfectlyfastened when the clamp is closed especially through the effect of thecomplementary teeth, whilst by performing the closure of said clamp bymeans of a male-female coupling which permits the subsequent openingthereof, the user may at any time adjust at will the effective length ofthe tape, up to the point where the termination may even not be closedin manufacture leaving it at the option of the user to position itdirectly at the location on the tape which he prefers and in thiseventuality cut off the segment of tape in excess.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to complete the description being made and for the purpose ofassisting in a better understanding of the characteristics of theinvention, in accordance with a preferred example of embodiment thereof,and forming an integral part of said description, a set of drawings isattached in which by way of illustration and not restrictively, thefollowing has been shown:

FIG. 1. Shown is a view in perspective of a tape finishing terminationfor implementation in accordance with the object of the presentinvention, which is shown in the open position.

FIG. 2. Shown, also in a perspective view, is the termination of theprevious figure duly coupled to the end of a tape.

FIG. 3. Shown is a detail in side elevation and in cross section of theassembly illustrated in the previous figure, according to the cut A-B ofsaid figure.

FIG. 4. Shown, finally, is a detail in cross section of the assemblyillustrated in FIG. 2, at the level of one of the interlocking pointsbetween the two bodies of the clamp, in accordance with the cut C-D ofsaid figure.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In the light of these figures, it can be seen how the finishingtermination for tapes which is proposed by the invention is structuredby means of a single piece (1), preferentially injected in plasticmaterial, in which piece are defined two bodies (2) and (3), noticeablyflat, which are shaped in the form of respective cups joined to eachother by means of an articulating hinge (4) which converts them into akind of clamp capable of adopting the open position shown in FIG. 1 orthe closed position shown in FIG. 2, which position being established ina stable fashion, after the insertion of the tape (5), thanks to thepresence in one of the bodies (3), specifically on its side edges,prepared for fitting inside the body (2), of a pair of side claws (6) ,saw-tooth in shape, which after elastic deformation fit into recesses(7) implemented in the other body (2), which permits the closure of theclamp to be performed by simply pressing on one body (3) with respect tothe other (2).

The body (2) comes with a wide slot (8), parallel and relatively closeto the edge thereof in which the hinge (4) is mounted, slot (8)delimited by each toothed edge (9), with its teeth pointing towards theinside of the cup, whilst on the body (3) is established in turn anotherslot (8′), noticeably narrower that the previous one, facing the latterin the closed position and equally delimited by teeth (9′) similar tothose previously mentioned.

In accordance with this construction and starting from the open positionshown in FIG. 1, the tape (5) is able to pass easily through the slot(8), from the inside of the body (2), coming out on the outside, passingover the hinge (4) and being housed inside the other body (3), throughthe slot (8′) of the latter, and from this situation the clamp definedby the two bodies is capable of being closed and of maintaining saidclosure stable, thanks to the male-female coupling which can be seenespecially in the detail of FIG. 4, closed position in which the teeth(9-9′) bite into the end, folded-back segment of the tape (5), as isalso shown in FIG. 3, preventing the occurrence of longitudinaldisplacement of the tape with respect to the termination in the event ofpulling forces that may be applied to these elements.

It only remains to point out finally that both bodies (2-3) eachincorporate on their free edge opposite the hinge (4) rims (10-10′),which in the closed position operate facing each other to determine asupplementary clamping zone for the tape (5), as may also be observed inthe cross section of FIG. 3, there being also on the inside face of thetwo bodies (2) and (3) small conical protuberances (11) whichcollaborate likewise in said fastening, and said bodies also beingprovided with broad hollows (12) which, as well as having a favourableimpact on the appearance of the termination, lighten the materialthereof in those areas where it proves non-operational.

What is claimed is:
 1. A clamp for a tape, said clamp comprising twocasings and a hinge pivotally connecting said casings, wherein saidcasings, when said clamp is in a closed position, together define aninternal space of said clamp for accommodating a section of the tape;each of said casings has a slot for introduction or withdrawal of thesection of the tape into or from said internal space of said clamp; andeach of said slots is provided along an edge thereof with a plurality ofteeth directed into said internal space of said clamp when said clamp isin the closed position.
 2. The clamp of claim 1, wherein said casingsand said hinge are integrated into a single piece.
 3. The clamp of claim1, wherein one of said slots is wider than the other.
 4. The clamp ofclaim 1, wherein the teeth of one of said slots are offset from theteeth of the other of said slots to define a curved passage for thesection of the tape.
 5. The clamp of claim 1, wherein said casings haveinterlocking elements that engage each other, when said clamp is in theclosed position, to releasably lock said casings together.
 6. The clampof claim 1, wherein one of said casings has a recess and the other ofsaid casings has a claw adapted to snap-fit into said recess when saidclamp is in the closed position for releasably locking said casingstogether.
 7. The clamp of claim 1, wherein each of said casings includesa plurality of projections directed into said internal space of saidclamp when said clamp is in the closed position; and a rim on a sideopposite said hinge, said rims and said projections being adapted tocooperate in clamping the section of the tape between said casings. 8.The clamp of claim 1, wherein at least one of said slots is furtherprovided, along another edge of said at least one slot, with a series ofteeth that are directed away from said internal space of said clamp whensaid clamp is in the closed position.
 9. The clamp of claim 8, whereinthe edges of said at least one slot, which are provided with the teeth,are opposite longitudinal edges of said slot.
 10. The clamp of claim 9,wherein the teeth that are directed away from said internal space ofsaid clamp are arranged along the one of said opposite longitudinaledges which is closer to said hinge than the other opposite longitudinaledge.
 11. The clamp of claim 1, wherein each of said casings includes abottom wall and side walls extending circumferentially of said bottomwall, the slot of said casing being formed in the bottom wall andextending parallel to one of said side walls which is connected to saidhinge.
 12. The clamp of claim 11, wherein at least one of said casingsfurther includes, besides said slot, an aperture extending through saidbottom wall.
 13. A clamp for a tape, said clamp comprising two casingsand a hinge pivotally connecting said casings, wherein said casings,when said clamp is in a closed position, together define a housing foraccommodating a section of the tape; and each of said casings has a slotfor introduction or withdrawal of the section of the tape into or fromsaid housing, said slots of said casings communicating an interior ofsaid housing with an exterior of said housing.
 14. The clamp of claim13, wherein each of said casings includes a plurality of conicalprojections directed into the interior of said housing; and each of saidcasings further includes a rim on a side opposite said hinge, said rimsand said conical projections are adapted to cooperate in clamping thesection of the tape between said casings.
 15. The clamp of claim 14,wherein said casings and said hinge are integrated into a single piece.16. The clamp of claim 14, wherein one of said slots is wider than theother; and the teeth of one of said slots are offset from the teeth ofthe other.
 17. The clamp of claim 14, wherein said casings haveinterlocking elements that engage each other, when said clamp is in theclosed position, to releasably lock said casings together.
 18. The clampof claim 14, wherein each of said casings includes a bottom wall andside walls extending circumferentially of said bottom wall, said conicalprojections of said casing projecting from said bottom wall, and saidslot of said casing being formed in said bottom wall between saidconical projections and said hinge.
 19. The clamp of claim 13, whereineach of said casings includes a bottom wall and side walls extendingcircumferentially of said bottom wall; and when said clamp is in theclosed position, said bottom walls of said casings taper away from saidhinge.
 20. In combination, a clamp comprising two casings and a hingepivotally connecting said casings, said casings being locked together ina closed position of said clamp to define a housing; and a strappartially received within said housing and clamped between said casings;wherein each of said casings has a slot through which the strap extendsfrom an interior of said housing to an exterior of said housing; andsaid housing further has an opening other than said slots of saidcasings, the strap extending from the interior of said housing throughsaid opening to the exterior of said housing.
 21. The combination ofclaim 20, wherein said strap includes a first section accommodatedwithin said housing; a second section contiguous to said first section,said second section extending from the interior of said housing to theexterior thereof via one of said slots, bending around said hinge, andpassing back into the interior of said housing via the other of saidslots; and a third section contiguous to said second section, said thirdsection escaping said housing through said opening.
 22. The combinationof claim 20 wherein an end of said strap is completely received withinsaid housing.
 23. The combination of claim 20, wherein said opening isdefined by spaced side walls of said casings.
 24. The combination ofclaim 20, wherein said casings include teeth that are directed to theinterior of said housing, said strap being clamped between said teeth.25. The combination of claim 20, wherein said casings include teeth thatare directed to the exterior of said housing and in physical contactwith said strap.